Thermal dock for a mobile computing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018239404-A1
Application number	US-201815899606-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 20, 2018
Priority date	Feb 22, 2017
Publication date	Aug 23, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Thermal management systems and corresponding use methods are described herein. A thermal management system includes a thermal dock operable to cool a computing device in physical contact with the thermal dock. The thermal dock includes a housing, a first thermal management device supported by the housing, and a second thermal management device physically connected to the first thermal management device. The first thermal management device is a different type of thermal management device than the second thermal management device.

First claim

1 . A thermal dock operable to cool a computing device in physical contact with the thermal dock, the thermal dock comprising:
a housing; a first thermal management device supported by the housing; and a second thermal management device physically connected to the first thermal management device, wherein the first thermal management device is a different type of thermal management device than the second thermal management device.

2 . The thermal dock of claim 1 , wherein the first thermal management device comprises a Peltier device, and the second thermal management device comprises a heat sink.

3 . The thermal dock of claim 2 , wherein the housing has an outer surface on which the computing device is supportable, and
wherein the Peltier device is supported by the housing such that the Peltier device extends through an opening through the housing, an outer surface of the Peltier device being offset relative to the outer surface of the housing.

4 . The thermal dock of claim 3 , wherein the heat sink is a spring-loaded heat sink that presses against the Peltier device, such that the outer surface of the Peltier device is offset relative to the outer surface of the housing.

5 . The thermal dock of claim 1 , wherein the first thermal management device has a first side, a second side, and at least one third side extending between the first side and the second side,
wherein the thermal dock further comprises a third thermal management device physically connected to the first side of first thermal management device, the second thermal management device being physically connected to the second side of the first thermal management device.

6 . The thermal dock of claim 5 , wherein the first thermal management device comprises a Peltier device, the second thermal management device comprises a heat sink, and the third thermal management device comprises a heat spreader or a phase change device.

7 . The thermal dock of claim 6 , wherein the third thermal management device forms an outer surface of the housing on which the computing device is supportable.

8 . The thermal dock of claim 1 , further comprising a first transceiver module supported by the housing and positioned at or adjacent to an outer surface of the housing on which the computing device is supportable,
wherein the first transceiver module has a protrusion that is positionable within a corresponding recess of a second transceiver module, the computing device comprising the second transceiver module.

9 . The thermal dock of claim 1 , wherein the thermal dock is a c-shaped sheath dock having a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion extending between the first portion and the second portion, the first portion being opposite the second portion,
wherein the first thermal management device is supported by the second portion of the housing and faces the first portion of the housing, and wherein the thermal dock further comprises:
a third thermal management device supported by the first portion of the housing and facing the second portion of the housing; and
a fourth thermal management device physically connected to the third thermal management device, the fourth thermal management device being a different type of thermal management device than the third thermal management device.

10 . The thermal dock of claim 9 , wherein the first thermal management device and the third thermal management device are Peltier devices, respectively, and the second thermal management device and the fourth thermal management device are heat sinks, respectively.

11 . A thermal management system comprising:
a computing device comprising:
a housing;
a printed circuit board (PCB) supported by the housing of the computing device;
a heat generating component supported by the PCB; and
a thermal dock comprising:
a housing; and
a Peltier device supported by the housing of the thermal dock, such that a surface of the Peltier device is at or adjacent to an outer surface of the housing of the thermal dock,
wherein the Peltier device is in thermal communication with the heat generating component via the housing of the computing device when the computing device is supported by the Peltier device.

12 . The thermal management system of claim 11 , wherein the computing device further comprises a first heat spreader or a first phase change device physically connected to the PCB, and
wherein the thermal dock further comprises a second heat spreader or a second phase change device physically connected to the Peltier device, the second heat spreader or the second phase change device forming the outer surface of the housing of the thermal dock.

13 . The thermal management system of claim 11 , wherein the surface of the Peltier device is a first surface, the Peltier device having a second surface and at least one third surface, the at least one third surface extending between the first surface and the second surface,
wherein the thermal dock further comprises a heat sink physically connected to the second surface of the Peltier device, the heat sink comprising a plurality of fins extending away from the second surface of the Peltier device.

14 . The thermal management system of claim 11 , wherein the computing device further comprises a first transceiver module, and the thermal dock further comprises a second transceiver module,
wherein the first transceiver module is positioned at or adjacent to an outer surface of the housing of the computing device, and wherein the second transceiver module is positioned at or adjacent to the outer surface of the housing of the thermal dock.

15 . The thermal management system of claim 14 , wherein the first transceiver module has a recess, and the second transceiver module has a protrusion corresponding to the recess, and
wherein the protrusion is positionable within the recess when the computing device is positioned on and supported by the outer surface of the housing of the thermal dock, data being communicable between the computing device and the thermal dock when the protrusion is positioned within the recess.

16 . A computing device comprising:
a housing having an outer surface and an inner surface; a heat generating component supported by the housing; a heat spreader or a phase change device physically connected to the heat generating component; a transceiver module in electrical communication with the heat generating component, a portion of the transceiver module being at or adjacent to the outer surface of the housing, wherein the transceiver module has a recess or a protrusion relative to the outer surface of the housing, the recess or the protrusion of the transceiver module corresponding to a protrusion or a recess of another transceiver module, the other transceiver module being a transceiver module of a thermal dock.

17 . The computing device of claim 16 , wherein the phase change device is physically connected to the heat generating component, the phase change device comprising a vapor chamber.

18 . The computing device of claim 16 , wherein the heat generating component comprises a processor, the processor configured to:
identify communication between the computing device and the thermal dock; increase a processing speed of the processor after the communication between the computing device and the thermal dock is identified; identify when the communication between the computing device and the thermal dock stops; and decrease the processing speed of the processor after the stopping of the communication between the computing

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Siddiqui Kabir
• Perry Jedd
• Delano Andrew Douglas
• Voth David William

Classifications

• G06F1/203 Primary

  for portable computers, e.g. for laptops · CPC title

• G06F1/1632

  External expansion units, e.g. docking stations · CPC title

• G06F1/206

  comprising thermal management · CPC title